Begin to Lose Control
by brachan90
Summary: The sad tale of an alternate universe that - after the loss of Goku - is faced with a new and powerful enemy. Will they be able to defeat it? Prequel to Dreaming of the Past
1. The History of the Tusken Raiders

**__**

Begin to Lose Control

This is the prequel to my story, "Dreaming of the Past". I realised that "Dreaming of the Past" was the end of a story, and was shown mostly through the eyes of an outsider, so here is the beginning (and middle), seen through the eyes of those who experienced it. It doesn't matter which one you read first. For those of you who have already read "Dreaming of the Past", then this is what happened before hand. If you haven't read it, then this is the first past of a story, and "Dreaming of the Past" is the continuation.

This story will explain what the Tusken Raiders are, where they came from, and why Sakata is such a psychotic bitch. It will also elaborate (a lot!) on Juunanagou's story to Bra about what happened in _his_ universe (note to those who don't know: This is set in an alternate universe. In "Dreaming of the Past", Bra travels to this alternate universe and spends time with the people there).

For the most part, this fic will take place over 10 or so years. I will try to inform you when a time jump has occurred. I do not own DB/Z/GT, or any of the related characters, or the song "Jealous Guy" from which the title was adapted. However, Sakata, Thiacin and all members of the Ecandlian race are of _my own_ creation.

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1: The History of the Tusken Raiders

Ecandl was a planet that once existed on the opposite side of the Northern Quadrant of the Universe to the Planet Earth. It was home to a humanoid race of noble and long-lived warriors. 

The Ecandlians generally had green eyes, and their hair was a shade of blue, be it as pale as the sky, or almost black. The females had an obvious pink tinge to their skin, while the males were more tanned, their skin a shade somewhat like mocha.

They were governed by a Royal Family, and the same family had ruled over Ecandl for 1,000 years, without any question of their leadership. Great deeds had been performed by many of the Ecandlian Royalties. Prince Eregis had defeated and tamed the Foeg beasts that had attacked the capital city of Ecandl. Queen Acirema had lead the battle against the invaders from the skies (at this early stage in their history, the Ecandlians did not yet have the technology for space travel). Thus, the Royal Family was respected…and accepted.

But nothing lasts forever.

For centuries, the seeds of hatred – the result of jealousy – had been sown, and during the reign of King Tobia and Queen Tiorah, these seeds germinated. 

A cult began, lead by a man named Andona. He despised the Royal Family for the power that they held, never once stopping to think that they had perhaps earned it.

It seemed that many shared Andona's view, for the cult quickly grew in numbers. Its "prized" member was a powerful warrior by the name of Thiacin. On Ecandl, he had no equal, save, perhaps, the Princess Sakata.

Thiacin held a grudge against the Royal Family. One of the Princes (a brother of the King) had sabotaged a Royal vehicle, which resulted in the injury of a Duchess. Though there was significant evidence against him, but he was able to frame Thiacin's father for the incidence, since the King refused to believe that his own brother could ever do anything wrong. Thiacin's father was executed for intent to kill a Royal Family member. Thiacin, therefore, did not feel that the Royal Family was as honourable and noble as they made everyone believe.

On top of this, Thiacin knew that they were no better than the rest of the Ecandlian population. As a younger man, he had fought in a competition against a young Duke (Sakata's cousin). Though Thiacin won fairly and easily, the Duke complained bitterly, and was made the winner. Thiacin knew that – aside from Sakata – all the Royal Family had limited fighting skills. He could easily defeat them.

Andona's cult began to attack the Royal Palace. The once (relatively) peaceful planet of Ecandl became a war zone. Andona's plan was to kidnap Princess Sakata, and brainwash her, so that he would have the planet's two strongest warriors at his command.

Things did not go exactly to plan.

Thiacin had joined with Andona, believing that the older man wished to rid Ecandl of its Royal Family and have no leader as he himself did. But it soon became obvious to Thiacin, that Andona wished only to rule the planet himself, as a bloodthirsty dictator. 

Thiacin killed Andona, and took up the leadership of the cult.

The attacks on the Royal Family continued, and it was during one of these that Thiacin met the princess. She enchanted him with her fighting skill and strength, and impressed him with her bravery, and sharp tongue.

Eventually, the Ecandlian Royal Family was defeated. The King, Queen and all inhabitants of the palace were slaughtered by Thiacin's cult.

Except for Princess Sakata.

Exhausted by battle, she was weak, and Thiacin was able to overwhelm her. He ravished her in an attempt to quell his lust for her. But instead, his lust increased. Sakata despised Thiacin – for what he had done to her family and herself – and as she healed, it became impossible for him to come near her. But at the same time, she respected him for his fighting skills.

Thiacin knew that his only hope would be to follow through with Andona's plan to brainwash the Princess. He wanted to make her love him, and hate the Royal Family and everything linked to them. Because of the way she actually felt about him, the brainwashing process was long and difficult. When they finally managed to brainwash her, her mind was torn apart. She became psychotic, with violent mood swings, and a thirst for blood and destruction. She found great pleasure in mass genocide. "Fun" was how she normally described it.

Thiacin sat back and let Sakata run wild. Several times he joined her on her killing sprees. She remembered little of her past life, but her fighting skills remained perfectly lethal.

After five Ecandlian years, Sakata's fun was over. She – along with Thiacin and several other cult members – had wiped out the entire Ecandlian population, save their own cult.

Thiacin knew that they could not remain on Ecandl. If they did, Sakata would turn to the cult to satisfy her homicidal needs. Luckily – for the cult – Ecandlian technology had advanced significantly since the times of Queen Acirema. They had a very well developed system of space travel, and fortunately, Sakata had not yet destroyed it.

Before they left the planet, Thiacin employed six of the strongest fighters in his cult, and started to train them in secret. They became bodyguards to Sakata and Thiacin, their power second only to their master and mistress. 

The Cult found the largest space ship on Ecandl. It was large enough to accommodate all of them on long space journeys. Thiacin graded all of the members, allocating them jobs. The weakest ones were the Scouts, expendable fighters that were sent to a potential planet, to evaluate the power of the inhabitants. Next up were the Soldiers, fighters with average skills. The Warriors had a relatively high level of fighting skills and strength. Then, there came the Elite, Thiacin's specially trained bodyguards.

Once they had left their planet's orbit, Thiacin allowed Sakata a final fix of destruction at the expense of Ecandl. Sakata destroyed the entire planet with a single blast.

Thus, was the end of Ecandl…and the beginning of our story…


	2. Hope Lost

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Begin to Lose Control

A/N: I don't know how old Uub is (if anyone does, can they tell me?) but in this story, I made him two years younger than Marron, so that their relationship is more probable. Also, the Tusken Raiders/Ecandlians speak Japanese. Don't ask me why, they just do! 

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2: Hope Lost

Earth, 20 years later…

"We will miss you, Son Goku. Friend, Husband, Father, Fighter. You will never be forgotten." There was not a dry eye, as Krillin made his speech at Goku's funeral. 

Gohan stood – ChiChi on one side, Videl on the other, both of them sobbing – his eyes filled with tears that he refused to shed. Goten held his five-year-old niece, as they wept openly for the man they both adored. Bulma sobbed onto Vegeta's shoulder, while he stared into nothingness. He could not believe that his the man he had called a rival, yet known was a friend, was dead – and would not be coming back. Five-year-old Bra cried on her older brother's leg. Trunks tried to comfort her, but his own grief would not allow it. 

Son Goku, the world's strongest fighter, was dead. Not killed by an enemy, or while defending the earth. He had been killed by a microscopic beast – a heart virus. The same virus that had killed him in Mirai Trunks' time line. Everyone had thought Goku safe from the virus after the purple haired warrior had come from the future with medicine. But years later, Goku had a relapse. The virus returned – mutated – and there was no way to cure it. The Earth had lost a great man. And – perhaps – their only hope…

* * * * * *

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The planet Nonac…

"These people are pathetic!" cried Sakata as she destroyed an entire city. "I thought you said they would be fun to kill. This isn't fun. It's just like setting fire to a wasp nest…except the wasps will sting you. These losers just run."

"Be calm, Sakata," Thiacin said. He floated beside her. "They do have a military. It just hasn't been deployed yet. You will have some fun soon. I'll send out some of the Soldiers, and you can see how long they last."

Sakata's scowl was immediately replaced by a grin. "Oh, Thiacin, you _are_ wonderful!"

True to Thiacin's word, warriors soon appeared. The Ecandlian Soldiers attacked. Sakata hovered above the fight (with three of the Elite in close vicinity). She giggled, and clapped her hands together as she watched the blood bath below.

Thiacin had, meanwhile, returned to the Ecandlian base. 

"Out of my way," he barked at the two guards standing at the entry. They quickly moved. Thiacin stormed to the control room. The remaining Elite were waiting there, along with several Scouts, Soldiers and Warriors. "Who told me Nonac would be a good target? Who deceived me?"

The cult members all moved to reveal a small group of Scouts, all looking very uncomfortable. The leader cleared his throat. "They had a considerably strong military, my Lord. If you look at the battle now, you will see that!"

Thiacin looked out. The battle was over – and all of the Ecandlian soldiers had survived. Thiacin searched the sky for Sakata. She was still hovering in the same spot…and she did not look happy.

Thiacin turned back to the accused Scouts. "Is that what you call strong? They were defeated by our Soldiers! In fact, I am willing to bet that even you Scouts could have won over them! And, you have made Sakata unhappy. Take them to the Cells!"

The Scouts screamed in terror as they were dragged away. The "Cells" were a lock-up deep within the ship. Any who were imprisoned there, became "toys" for Sakata – if she was bored, she would choose one, and tear them to pieces. The prisoners were also used in the Elite's training. 

"Lord Thiacin!" A Soldier came running into the control room. "The Scouts have returned from the Planet Earth!"

"This had better be good," Thiacin mumbled, as he waited for the Scouts.

Ten Ecandlians entered the room. They bowed low before their leader.

"Get up!" Thiacin ordered. "Tell me of the planet you have returned from…Earth!"

"My Lord," said one of the Scouts. "The general people are of quite limited power, only slightly stronger than the people of this planet. However, the do have a reasonable military, and…"

"As reasonable as this one!?!" Thiacin snarled.

"There is more, Lord Thiacin. As well as their military, Earth has several very powerful fighters. It is home to the last of the Saiya-jin." 

Thiacin's eyes widened. He had heard of the Saiya-jin – a race of powerful warriors, who could transform into giant monkey-like beasts at the full moon. But their planet had been destroyed. Thiacin much liked the idea of fighting a Saiya-jin. "Go on."

"Yes, sir. Though one has just passed away, there is still one full-blooded Saiya-jin on the Planet Earth. Plus, the offspring of both are very powerful – there are four partial Saiya-jins. Also, there is a Namek of great power, and several humans, who are not like the other inhabitants. They are quite strong."

Thiacin's lips curled into a wicked smile. "I like the sound of this planet."

A cry of pain was heard from the corridor leading to the control room. Suddenly, the corpse of a Soldier flew into the room. It was soon followed by a rather angry Ecandlian Princess.

Thiacin frowned. "Sakata, how many times do I have to tell you – don't kill the Soldiers when you're upset! That's what the Scouts are for. And by the way, I sent a couple of new ones to the Cells."

"Are they the one's who recommended this worthless piece of shit planet?" she snarled.

"_Hai_." 

Sakata grinned, like a child who had just been given a candy bar. "Well, then, I'm off to kill them. Be back soon!"

"Wait! Do you want to hear about our next Planet?"

"No! I want to kill those little _chikushos_! And you'd better let me go, or I'll start killing more than just Soldiers!"

Thiacin sighed, and let Sakata leave. She was a real bitch when she was angry, so it was easier to just let her have her way. He could tell her about Earth later. They wouldn't be leaving for Earth straight away anyway. There was still unfinished business here. 

But Earth's time would come.

* * * * * *

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Capsule Corp., 2 years later…

"Hey, Juunanagou!" Trunks waved to the _jinzouningen_. 

After years of living in solitude in the forest, Juunanagou had finally joined with the Z-warriors. He had done it mostly to see his sister, Juuhachigou, again. At first, the Z-warriors had been hesitant in accepting the _jinzouningen_, but he soon became a welcome member of their group, and his strength and skills were greatly appreciated.

On this particular day, Juunanagou had come to Capsule Corp. to spar with Trunks and Goten. Against his better judgement, Juunanagou was fast becoming "friends" with the two demi-Saiya-jins. He enjoyed their company.

"_Konnichiwa_, Trunks," Juunanagou greeted. He noticed that everyone was at Capsule Corp. "Why is everyone here? I thought we were gonna spar."

"We are," said Goten. "But Bulma wanted to have a get together, so once we're done sparring, we can join them. So let's go! The sooner we finish, the sooner I can eat!"

Trunks rolled his eyes. He, Goten and Juunanagou went to the Gravity Room to start their sparring session.

* * * * * *

The Ecandlian space ship orbited Earth. Sakata and Thiacin looked down on it from the control room.

"You were right," said Sakata. "They _do_ have a lot of powerful fighters. Stronger than we expected."

Thiacin nodded. "The Saiya-jin and the Namek especially. We will have to change our plans slightly. Strong fighters are good to have, but I won't take the chance of either of us getting killed. We'll kill those two first. But before that, there's something else we have to take care of."

"What?"

"They will have an unfair advantage over us. They have these…things – Dragon Balls I think they're called – which allow them to make wishes. And also, some form of food that completely restore their health."

"Well, that's no fun. We can't have those around. So, how do we get rid of them?"

Thiacin grinned. "Quite easily, my love."

* * * * * *

"Go on, Piccolo!" laughed Dende. "Go to Capsule Corp. and have some fun. I don't need you here to protect me _all_ the time. You need some time off."

Piccolo sighed. The influence of both Kami and Nail made him over protective of the young Namekian guardian. But he _did _want to see Gohan again…

"I'll go, but only for an hour or so." Piccolo smiled. _It has been too long since I saw them all. They must think that I'm really anti-social._ But his smiled suddenly faded. Something was not right. He ran out of the small building on Kami's Lookout, with Dende and Popo in close pursuit.

Standing on the outer platform were two figures: one male, one female. The male had tanned skin, and light blue hair, tied back in a small braid. He wore a fighting gi, which was green in colour. The woman had darker blue hair, in a high ponytail, and her skin was slightly pinkish. She wore a bright yellow dress. They both had menacing green eyes.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Piccolo demanded.

"Two Nameks?" exclaimed Sakata. She turned to Thiacin. "You said there was only one!"

Thiacin shrugged. "That's what I was told. But it doesn't matter. That other one is pretty weak."

"You haven't answered my question!" growled Piccolo.

Thiacin glared at Piccolo. "_I_ am Thiacin, and this is the ever so beautiful Princess Sakata. What we want, is none of your concern."

"Thiacin! I'm getting bored," said Sakata. "Let's just get this over and done with."

Piccolo did not know what the two intruders were up to, but he was certain that it would not be good. He ordered Dende and Popo to get out of sight. He then faced Sakata and Thiacin. "Whatever it is you're planning to do, you'll have to get through me first to do it."

"Impressive," mumbled Thiacin, as Piccolo powered up. "It's a good thing we changed our plan. Leaving this one alive might have caused trouble later." He turned to Sakata. "Will I do the honours, or would you like to?"

"I would like to," replied Sakata. In her hand, she formed a small ball of ki. She waited until both she and Thiacin were floating above the platform, then she dropped the ki ball. It rolled along the ground, and stopped at Piccolo's feet. 

Piccolo looked from the Ecandlians to the ki ball, and back again. That was all he had time to do. The ki ball exploded. Sakata and Thiacin watched calmly as Kami's Lookout was demolished. As it caved in on itself, it started to press down on Korin's Tower beneath it. The pressure caused a chain reaction. Both Kami's Lookout and Korin's Tower tumbled to the ground.

A smirk spread across Sakata's lips. "I do believe you were right, Thiacin. This planet _will_ be fun."

* * * * * *

Gohan was sitting under a tree, watching Pan and Bra play a game of Tag, which they had dragged Marron and Uub into. Uub blushed when Marron tagged him, before he chased after the three girls. Gohan smiled at the scene before him, then sighed. _I wish Otousan was here to see this._

Suddenly, Goten sensed Piccolo's ki rising. _He must be training. I guess he won't be coming today. _He thought nothing more of it…until Piccolo's ki changed. It started decreasing, _very_ rapidly. Gohan stood up.

"What's wrong?" Vegeta growled.

"Something's wrong," Gohan replied. "Something bad is happening at Kami's Lookout."  


"What are you talking ab…" Vegeta stopped mid-sentence as he too felt the rapid decrease. He faced Gohan. "Get the brats. We're going to check this out."

Gohan nodded, and raced to the Gravity Room, knowing that "the brats" meant Goten, Trunks and Juunanagou. He opened the door.

"_Kuso!_" Juunanagou cried, as the gravity dropped. "What the Hell did you do that for?"

"Something's wrong," Gohan answered. "Piccolo…his ki is decreasing…way too rapidly. We have to go to Kami's Lookout."

Trunks, Goten and Juunanagou all left the Gravity Room (Juunanagou complaining bitterly), and followed Gohan to where Vegeta was waiting. The five of them flew to Kami's Lookout.

Nothing could have prepared them for what they found when the arrived.

They had been flying at a moderate height, and assumed they would come to Korin's Tower, which they would then fly parallel to. But Korin's Tower was not there. In fact, they had flown straight past where it _should _have been, and were two miles away before they realised.

Confused, they flew lower, and when they reached the spot where they thought Korin's Tower should be, they flew to the ground. 

It was there that they found the ruins.

A pile rubble and dust was all that remained of the home of Earth's Guardian and the pillar beneath it. Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, Goten and Juunanagou stood and stared, completely horrified. 

"Piccolo…" Gohan whispered.

"Who could have done this?" asked Goten. Trunks simply shook his head.

Gohan was the first to land. He immediately started to toss the rubble aside, searching for his Master. He found Popo first. Goten and Trunks dragged Mr. Popo aside – he was dead. Gohan kept searching.

They eventually found the bodies of Dende, Korin, Yajirobe and Piccolo. Gohan did not hold his tears back. Goten and Trunks tried hopelessly to comfort him. Juunanagou looked at the ground, with sadness all over his usually emotionless face. Vegeta stared into the distance, hoping to sense a clue as to what had done this.

He knew that trouble was coming, but he had no idea how much.


	3. The Dreaded Peace

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Begin to Lose Control

A/N: Eep! A reviewer made it clear to me that I had forgotten to explain why I referred to the Ecandlians as the Tusken Raiders. It was explained in "Dreaming of the Past", but I forgot that some people haven't read "Dreaming of the Past" yet. "Tusken Raiders" comes from "Star Wars". They're the sand people. In "Dreaming of the Past", Goten, with no other name to call the Ecandlians (since they do not declare their name, and have probably forgotten it themselves), and being a Star Wars fan, refers to them as the Tusken Raiders, and the name sticks from then on. That scene will appear in the story later, but there you are – Why the Ecandlians are called Tusken Raiders.

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3: The Dreaded Peace

Everyone sat around the living room of Capsule Corp. Vegeta, Trunks, Goten and Juunanagou had returned and told everyone about their discovery. The happy get-together Bulma had planned had become a sad and sombre occasion. 

Gohan was the most upset. He sat on a couch, looking at his feet, obviously depressed. His master was dead. His master…and his best friend. _I guess this is how Mirai Trunks must have felt_. He looked up at Juunanagou and Juuhachigou. _I don't suppose they…No. I can't blame them. Juuhachi and Juunana are our friends now_.

The _jinzouningen_ twins were as upset as everyone else. Their ice-blue cat eyes identical in their emotions: downcast and brimmed with tears. The look was foreign on their faces. Normally anger was the only emotion to grace their flawless visage.

Videl kept her hand on her husband's shoulder. She knew how close Gohan had been to Piccolo, especially after Goku's death.

All thoughts seemed to be focussed on the loss of Piccolo – he had been the closest to the group. They did all feel upset over the deaths of Dende, Popo, Yajirobe and Korin, but nobody realised the implications that had now arisen.

Nobody, except Bulma.

She had always been the one to keep her head in emotional times. "The DragonBalls are gone. The Senzu beans too. If whatever did this attacks, we could be in a lot of trouble."

"When did we decide something 'did' this?" asked ChiChi. She didn't want to believe that the Earth was in trouble…and Goku wasn't there to help. "It might have been an accident."

"I don't think that even Bulma could have caused an accident that big," replied Vegeta. Though he mocked his mate, he was proud of her. She had worked out, and accepted the inevitable before anyone else.

"Vegeta's right, okaasan," sighed Gohan. "Piccolo's ki was raised just before it happened. He was obviously confronted by something. And I was too dense to realise! I just thought he was training."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Brat. I didn't realise either. And even if we had, do you really think we would have gotten there in time?"

"Well…what are we going to do?" Yamcha asked. He was obviously terrified. But then again, they all were. They were faced with a completely new and unknown foe. And without their two safety nets – the Dragonballs and senzu beans – they may not have any hope.

"What can we do?" Vegeta sighed. "We can't do anything. We don't know what we're up against, and we don't know where to find it. We'll just have to sit and wait."

Though no one liked Vegeta's "idea" (Vegeta least of all), they all knew that they had no other choice.

* * * * * *

"That was great!" Sakata giggled.

She and Thiacin returned to the base they had set up on Earth. It was in a very isolated area of woodland. They would remain hidden as long as they kept their kis low.

"What are we gonna do now?"

Thiacin thought for a moment. "I think we should lay low for a little while." He held up his hand to Sakata's protest. "I figure, if they've seen the aftermath of our little expedition – which they should have by now – they won't have figured who or what did it. They probably don't know about us. By laying low, we'll keep ourselves a secret. They might even forget about the whole incident. We just have to wait. And besides, I'm sure we have enough in the Cells to keep your sadism satisfied."

* * * * * *

A year passed, and although the Z-warriors did not "forget about the whole incident", many of them came to accept ChiChi's idea that it had simply been a terrible accident. What sort of enemy would destroy Kami's Lookout, and not attack anyone or anything else?

But Vegeta remained sceptical. He began training himself at a higher level, and urged Trunks to follow suit. And though part of him wanted to start training Bra, another part could not bear to see his little princess fight. But he knew that he would eventually have to train her, for he alone knew the power she possessed.

Bra was a human-Saiya-jin hybrid, two races that seemed to compliment each other almost perfectly. And like Gohan, she possessed amazing power. Vegeta had always wondered why Trunks had never been (and never would be) as powerful as Gohan, even though he had come from a more powerful bloodline. But after the birth of Bra, Vegeta realised that the power of the offspring depended on the…situation of conception. While Trunks had never been planned by Vegeta and Bulma, Bra had been. The same went for Goten and Gohan. Goten had been an accident (ChiChi had told Bulma, and she, in turn, had told Vegeta) – the result of one last bit of fun between Goku and ChiChi before Goku left to fight the _jinzouningen_.

But although Vegeta was aware of Bra's capabilities, he kept it a secret. She was far too important to him. Let people accuse him of becoming too soft; his family meant everything to him. He finally had something he could honestly feel proud of achieving.

And that was why he completely flipped when Bulma went missing.

* * * * * * 

Bulma left Capsule Corp. at ten in the morning, headed for Satan City Mall. Bra waved sadly from a window. Although Bulma knew that Bra loved shopping, she couldn't risk taking the eight-year-old on this particular day. She was going shopping for Trunks' birthday, and Bra had a habit of blabbing.

Climbing into her Capsule car, Bulma set off. But as she approached the main road leading to the mall, she found it was blocked, and a detour, through the outskirts of town, was advised.

Bulma sighed, irritated, but took the detour. She had been driving along an almost dirt road for around ten minutes, when something suddenly exploded in front of her. Bulma screamed, and slammed on the brakes. The air car spun out of control, before coming to rest in the middle of the road…or at least, where the road used to be. There was now a gaping crater.

Bulma panted, thankful of surviving her near-accident. But at the same time she wondered what had caused the explosion.

"Good morning, Ms. Briefs," a gentle male voice greeted.

* * * * * *

At four o'clock that afternoon, Vegeta started to wonder why Bulma had not come home yet. By six, he was worried, and by seven, everyone, including the police, was at Capsule Corp.

"So, she hasn't called?" the Police Chief asked Trunks.

Another officer was interviewing Vegeta. "It's possible that this is a ransom kidnapping. Your wife is very recognisable as the Capsule Corp. President. We'll tap the phones."

Vegeta nodded mutely. The police all seemed sure that Bulma had been abducted by someone after the Capsule Corp. fortune or perhaps a rival company. Vegeta did not share their theory. He wondered if someone was seeking revenge against _him_ by kidnapping his mate. He tried to think of who would want to get back at him, but found he could not narrow it down to one individual. Or group, for that matter.

It was not until he looked up and saw the little shrine Trunks and Bra had constructed for Piccolo, Dende and the rest, that it all fell into place.

"Sweet Kami, no," he whispered.

"Vegeta, what's wrong?" Gohan asked, seeing the blood drain from the older man's face. He followed Vegeta's gaze, and realised what was terrifying the prince so much. "You don't think…?"

Vegeta nodded. "It seems our unwanted guests have come out of hiding."

Vegeta closed his eyes, took a deep breath and did something he hadn't thought of yet. He searched for Bulma's ki. It was very weak, and for most of the fighters, impossible to detect. But since he was bonded to her, Vegeta could find it.

His eyes shot open. "Found her."

And with that, he quickly left Capsule Corp. …and a very confused Gohan.

Trunks could see the bemused look on Gohan's face, but the police still had questions to ask, and with Vegeta gone, Trunks was the one who had to answer them. Thus, it was ten minutes later before Trunks could speak to Gohan.

"Gohan, what's wrong? Where's otousan?" he asked.

"I don't know. He thinks whatever killed Piccolo might have something to do with this. He closed his eyes, like he was meditating, then said, 'Found her' and left." Gohan shook his head.

"He was searching for okaasan's ki." Trunks' expression became grim. "I'm going after him. Look after Bra for me."

"Trunks wait!"

But it was too late – Trunks was already gone.

* * * * * *

In a quiet desolation some way out of the city – and a considerable distance from their "hide-out" – Sakata and Thiacin were waiting.

"He should have been here by now," Thiacin growled impatiently. "Are you sure this is the right woman?"

"Of course I am!" Sakata snapped back. She grinned. "He's on his way. I can feel it."

"Are you sure you just want to watch, my dear?"

Sakata nodded. "I'm tired, but I could do with a little entertainment. And a blood-fest starring the Saiya-jin Prince will do quite nicely."

"NO!!!" a female voice screamed.

"Oh, shut her up, please!" cried Sakata.

Several soldiers advanced on the woman. She was sitting in a large crater-like basin, with strange artificial lights focussed on her. Her arms and legs were bound. The soldiers got closer, preparing to eternally silence the woman.

"Don't kill her!" roared Thiacin. "Without this woman, Bulma, Vegeta won't turn up!"

"He's almost here!" giggled Sakata. "Such power. Such a shame he has to be wasted, but I'm sure I'll get to have more fun later."

"That you will, my dear." Thiacin clapped his hands together. "Places everyone!"

The soldiers slunk back into the shadows, camouflaged by the darkness. Thiacin and Sakata were already safely hidden in the dark, with three of the Elite. The remaining three joined the soldiers making a ring around the bait.

Bulma cried out again, but this time stopped herself. Her screams would probably attract her mate, and she didn't want him anywhere near the place. She mentally ordered him to stay away.

But even if he had heard her, Vegeta probably would not have listened anyway. He sped straight towards Bulma, landing with perfect grace next to her.

Only then did he realise the horrible trap he had walked straight into.

Bulma was sobbing, ordering Vegeta to leave, saying something about a 'blood-fest'. But Vegeta wasn't listening to her. All his sense were focussed on the creeping shadows surrounding them…and the tremendous power they were beginning to radiate.

"Welcome, Prince Vegeta," a voice boomed. "We are sorry we could not do you the…justice of fighting you ourselves. My dear love is rather tired tonight. But don't worry too much. I'm sure we will have just as much fun killing your children."

Enraged, Vegeta powered up to Super Saiya-jin, eyes searching for the source of the voice. Instead, all he saw were menacing green eyes, surrounding he and Bulma… and closing in fast. 

Vegeta stood in front of Bulma, trying to protect her, but he soon became aware that it was near impossible to do so. They were completely surrounded.

He snarled. "FINAL FLASH!"

The energy beam cut through part of the ring, the beings who had once occupied the space screaming as they were blown apart. Their companions jumped on Vegeta at once.

Vegeta threw each of the soldiers to the side, the force breaking everyone bone in their bodies as they landed. But it seemed that for each soldier that he defeated, two more appeared. And he was having trouble trying to protect Bulma at the same time.

He powered up again, this time to Super Saiya-jin 2, in the process, blowing away several soldiers. The game had begun again, with Vegeta gaining only a slight advantage. 

Safely out of view, Sakata grinned broadly. "This is wonderful! He is truly magnificent."

"Yes, he is." Thiacin frowned. Vegeta was killing too many of the soldiers. Their numbers were not infinite, and they were starting to run low. "Finish this!"

His order was directed at the three Elite who had formed part of the circle. Two jumped Vegeta, while the remaining one grabbed Bulma. They held Vegeta down. The other held Bulma directly in front of Vegeta.

Bulma's lip trembled and her eyes sparkled, but she would not give them the satisfaction of crying. Vegeta had never been more proud of her, as he watched her stare death in the face.

The Elite twisted Bulma's head to an unnatural angle, and her face lost all light. The sickening crack her rang in Vegeta's ears. Bulma's lifeless form was tossed aside.

"NOOOOOOOOO…!" Vegeta's cry was cut short as a hand ripped through his torso.

The Elite removed his hand from Vegeta's chest, letting Vegeta drop to the ground to bleed to death; his aorta completely severed.

Vegeta stared at the night sky, listening to the sound Bulma's neck had made echo over and over. Above this, he could hear his own heart beat, faltering as it realised something was very wrong. And finally, above that, he thought he could hear a voice.

"Otousan! Okaasan!"

The vision before Vegeta's seemed to morph. At first, he thought his life was about to pass before him, but what he saw, had never happened in his lifetime.

He saw the city, nearly completely destroyed. He saw three figures: one a man who looked much like those he had just fought; one a woman, sneering, angry, and badly beaten. The final figure was bathed in golden light. She quickly and surely killed the other two figures. Then she turned, and Vegeta saw her face. Even grown-up and in Super Saiya-jin, Vegeta knew it was his daughter. And he knew she would put an end to all this horror. He had been right all along. His vision distorted again, and a different pair of green eyes stared at him. The face they belonged to was streaked with tears.

"Otousan!"

"Trunks…" Vegeta choked out. He had wasted so much time already. He had to let someone know. "Trunks…look after Bra…train her…she's special…p-precious…" Vegeta could not take a final breath to finish his plea. His eyes rolled back, and something left his body.

"Otousan? Otousan!" Trunks cried hysterically. He frantically looked around for the person, or persons, who had killed his beloved father.

But he was alone. The murderers of his parents had disappeared. They had once again faded mysteriously into the night, leaving no clue of what they were, or when they would return.


	4. The Horror Begins

Begin to Lose Control 

****

_4: The Horror Begins_

Gohan sighed for the umpteenth time, and glanced at the clock. Where were they? They'd been gone for far too long. The police had since left, promising to call if they heard or found out anything. Gohan looked over to where Goten was trying to keep Bra occupied. The eight-year-old caught his eye, the worried look on her face probably mirroring his own. He sighed again, and started striding across the room.

"Gohan, please stop pacing," murmured Videl. "You're making me nervous."

Gohan complied, and sat down. He reached out with his mind, searching for Vegeta or Trunks' ki, but he could no longer sense them. He had felt Vegeta a little while ago…everyone had. A power-surge like that was impossible to ignore, even for the most inexperienced fighter. But since then, they had felt nothing. Gohan had a horrible feeling that Vegeta at least had met the same fate as Piccolo. 

His head snapped up. "Trunks is back!"

He ran to the door, but stopped short when he caught sight of the younger demi-Saiya-jin. Trunks' shirt was splattered with blood, his face was streaked with tears, and his eyes did not appear to be focusing properly. Gohan glanced back behind him, and Bra who had stood up eagerly the minute her brother's name had been spoken. Gohan's own daughter was standing next to Bra, equally anxious. Gohan knew what seeing Trunks in his current condition would do to them. 

"Goten! Trunks looks thirsty. Why don't you, Pan and Bra go and get something for him?" he quietly said.

"But Gohan…" Goten began to argue. Then he saw the look on his brother's face. "Sure thing. Come on B-chan, Pan."

"We'll come too," said Marron, pulling Uub along with her.

"Goten-san! I want to see Trunks!" Gohan could hear Bra complaining as she was dragged to the kitchen.

Goten managed to get the girls out of sight just before Trunks entered the building. Gohan caught Trunks, afraid that he would faint from loss of blood.

"Trunks, what happened? Who did this to you?" he demanded.

"Uh…did…what…?" Trunks mumbled. Then he seemed to regain some control of himself. "T-this isn't my blood. Nothing happened to me. But my parents…" He glanced around. "Where's Bra?"

"In the kitchen. I didn't want her to see you like this."

"_Arigatou, Gohan." Trunks sat down, with his head rested in his hands. It was a while before anyone realised that he was trembling with sobs. ChiChi sat next to him, and put a hand on his back._

"Tell us what happened, Trunks," she quietly requested.

Trunks took a huge gulp of air. "I-I was too late. I don't know what happened. I j-just found them, and they were…otousan…he…he was still alive, but only just. I saw other people there. Well, I can't say people…I didn't see them well enough…but figures. They-they were the ones who did it. They were wearing purple." Trunks looked up. "Who would do this? Who would kill my parents?"

Krillin was going to point out that many beings in the universe would probably want to kill Vegeta, but he held his tongue, and took one of Juuhachigou's hands in his own.

"Oh…Bulma…" ChiChi sobbed. 

"Onii-chan? Where's otousan? And okaasan?" a small voice asked.

All eyes turned toward the kitchen entry, where Bra was standing, looking lost and confused. She took a few small steps forward, then ran to Trunks.

"What happened, Trunks? Where are they?" she begged.

Trunks pulled his sister into his arms, forgetting for the moment that he was covered in his father's blood. "The-They're with Goku-san, Bra-chan."

Trunks had never had to do anything more painful than that. To tell his younger sister that their parents were dead. To tell Bra that her beloved father would never be around. That she wouldn't be able to annoy her mother while she was working ever again. 

Bra's face crumbled. Her legs failed to hold her upright, and she collapsed. Only Trunks' embrace stopped her from crumpling onto the floor.

Goten came running out of the kitchen, obviously in vain pursuit of Bra. When he saw the scene in front of him, he stopped short and cursed himself. Marron and Uub came up behind him, Pan on Uub's shoulders.

"Oh, Kami," Marron whispered. Uub placed his free arm around her, and she started sobbing on his shoulder.

"Do…do you suppose that this was the same thing that destroyed Kami's Lookout?" Videl asked.

"Yes, I do," replied Trunks, looking up. "And so did my otousan. Something big is coming. Something like we've never faced before."

"And we have to face it without Piccolo, Goku and Vegeta. And without DragonBalls and senzu beans," Krillin sighed. "_Kusottare_!"

"I think we should start training," said Juunanagou. "We're gonna need it."

*   *   *   *   *   *

Every morning for the next week, Trunks to find Bra was sleeping next to him. And every morning he realised that the awful night had not been simply a terrible dream. His parents _were_ dead. 

The Sons were staying at Capsule Corp., knowing that Trunks would need help. He was 22, and had no idea how to raise an 8-year-old. Trunks wandered down to the kitchen in this particular morning, and found ChiChi making breakfast.

"Konnichiwa, ChiChi-san," Trunks murmured.

"Good morning, Trunks." ChiChi turned around, and smiled sadly. They had not spoken about what had happened since Trunks had told them all, but ChiChi felt that Trunks needed to let it off his chest. "How are you?"

Trunks shrugged. "I supposed I'm doing alright, considering the circumstances. I have to be strong, for Bra." He sat down, and rested his head on his hands. "And more than that, too. How are we gonna explain this to the world? The police know okaasan was missing, but not otousan."

ChiChi came over and gave Trunks a hug. "Try not to worry about that now. You and your sister are the only people you have to worry about."

Trunks looked up and attempted a smile.

"Morning," greeted Gohan, entering the room. He walked over, and squeezed Trunks' shoulder. "You okay?"

"Relatively." Trunks suddenly remembered his father's last words. He had pushed them to the back of his mind, but now that he thought of them, he realised he didn't know what Vegeta had meant. Gohan was the perfect person to ask. "Gohan, I need to ask you something."

Gohan took a sip of tea from the cup his mother had handed him. "Sure thing."

"Otousan – he said something to me, before he…you know. It was kinda weird. He told me that I had to look after Bra; that she was precious."

"I don't see what's weird about that. Everyone knows how much Vegeta adored Bra."

"That wasn't the weird bit. He also told me to train her, because she was special. It doesn't make any sense. Like you said, otousan adored Bra – and he'd never want her to get into any trouble. So why would he want me to train her?"

Gohan thought about this for a moment. "I don't know, Trunks. But I will tell you this – Vegeta would not have said that, if he didn't mean it, even if he was an inch away from death. Honour his request. Train your sister. We need all the help we can get anyway."

*   *   *   *   *   *

Trunks looked at Bra's sleeping form. It was 5am, and she looked like an angel. He gently shook her. She growled, but did not wake. He shook her again.

"What!?" she snapped, waking up.

"Get up, Bra-chan. We're starting your training today."

"Training?" She looked confused, then scowled. "I'm not training! I don't want to fight."

Trunks sighed. He had been expecting such a reaction. "Bra, I know you don't want to fight, but you're a Saiya-jin. If something is out there, we will need your help."

"But, Trunks…"

"Bra, quit arguing! Look, before he…before he died, Otousan told me to train you. And I intend to follow that through."

"Otousan told you to train me?"

"That's what I said."

Bra's eyes filled with pride. "Alright then. When do we start?"

Trunks playfully hit her. "I already said we're starting today, stupid. Put this on." He tossed a spandex training suit at her. "I'll meet you in the Gravity Room."

Bra joined him in the Gravity Room around ten minutes later. She looked uncomfortable in the suit. She screwed up her nose, and stated, "It feels weird. I don't like it!"

"Deal with it," Trunks growled, already starting to fill his father's empty shoes. He pondered at the gravity controls. _This is her first time training. I'd better not put it too high._ He set it at fifty times Earth's normal gravity. 

"TRUNKS!" Bra whined, as she hit the floor. Trunks stood above her prostrate form, completely unaffected by the higher gravity; he was used to much higher levels.

"Bra, this is nothing. If you can't handle fifty times gravity, then there's not much hope for you, I'm afraid."

Trunks' attack at her pride worked amazingly well. He knew how she worked – she would do anything that her father wished, and anything that would make him proud of her, even if he was no longer with them. Bra staggered to her feet, stumbled several times, then steadied herself in a fighting stance.

"Not bad," Trunks allowed. He smirked. "But this is just the beginning. Let's see how you handle movement." He aimed three consecutive blows at her. She managed to dodge two of them by simple moving her head, but the third caught her in the face.

"OW!" she cried, holding her nose. "You better not have broken my nose, Trunks! You're paying for the nose job if you have!"

Trunks laughed, and stirred her a little more. "No one will notice on that ugly face of yours!"

Bra filled with rage, her power increasing dramatically as she did. Trunks was completely shocked, so much so, that he was not able to dodge as she aimed a punch right at his face. He fell backwards.

"OW!" Trunks cried, echoing his sister's earlier words. 

Bra stood above him, also amazed at her own strength. She looked at her fist in awe. She grinned. "Oh, yeah! Who's ugly now, Trunks?"

Trunks sat up, and shook his head. _Amazing! I never thought she would be so powerful!_ He started laughing, but not cruelly, as he had before. "Now _this_ is what I'm talking about. Bring it on, Bra-chan!"

ßBack   [Nextà][1]

Bra/Goten

   [1]: http://www.geocities.com/goten_bra_fan/btlc5.htm



	5. The First Battle

Begin to Lose Control 

****

_5:The First Battle_

Bra's training was going amazingly well. Within a week, Trunks guessed that she had surpassed all of the human fighters.

Not wanting to be left out, Pan demanded that she, too, start a strict training schedule. Though he was reluctant to let her at first, Gohan eventually gave in when Trunks parroted his own words back to him. "We need all the help we can get, Gohan-san!"

So the job of training the two Saiya-jin girls fell upon Trunks, Goten and Juunanagou, the latter two ending up with most of the work since Trunks was trying to run Capsule Corp. at the same time. Though no one wanted to tell Pan, it was clear that Bra was phenomenally stronger than her. Juunanagou once dared to suggest that she was catching up on Trunks and Goten…and received two black eyes. Fortunately, he healed quite quickly.

*   *   *   *   *   *

"THIACIN!"

Thiacin cringed as his princess' irate voice echoed through their hide-out. Her royal bitchiness was bored and on a rampage.

"Thiacin!" Sakata arrived to where Thiacin was attempting to hide from her. "I'm bored!"

"I noticed," he replied. "So what, pray tell, would you like me to do about it?"

Sakata's eyes glowed with a sadistic light. "I want a battle. A _big_, bloody battle. I want people to die. And I want to watch."

Thiacin allowed himself a small smirk. "Now _that_ I can do."

*   *   *   *   *   *

"Come on, Bra!" Goten taunted. "I know you're faster than that! Hit me!"

Bra snarled at Goten, but that was the only warning he got. With lightening speed, she attacked, a viscous punch connecting with his jaw. Goten let out a cry of pain, as Bra then tripped him.

"Fast enough for you, Goten-san?" She smirked down at him.

"Pain…ache…want…to…die…" he mumbled.

From the other side of the Gravity Room, Juunanagou roared with laughter. But, by doing so, he stopped paying attention to his own battle. Pan kicked him in the middle of his back, and he buckled in pain.

"Pay attention to your _own_ fight," she growled at him.

From their positions on the ground, Goten and Juunanagou looked up at the two girls scowling down at them.

"What have we done?" Goten choked.

"We've created two monsters!" Juunanagou managed a laugh. "Real fighting machines out of cute little girls."

The gravity dropped as the door to the room was opened. The scowls on the girls' faces also dropped, and were replaced with beaming grins.

"Onii-chan!" Bra cried.

"Otousan!" Pan said at the same time.

"Hey, Princess!" Trunks greeted his sister, picking her up in a hug. 

Gohan picked up Pan. "How was training? The boys weren't too rough on you, were they?" He sent a warning glare towards Goten and Juunanagou.

"Rough on _her_!?!" Juunanagou cried out, staggering to his feet. "Who's on floor? Who's writhing in pain? Not those two monsters, that's for sure!"

"When do we get a break from training them?" Goten asked. "I mean, honestly, a guy can only take so many beatings from an eight-year-old girl!"

"Alright, Goten," Trunks sighed. "I'll train the girls tomorrow. You and Juu-kun can have the day off."

"Hey, wait a minute! Are you saying that Juu-kun and I aren't good enough to handle them by ourselves? That we have to train them _together_, while you can do it by yourself?" Goten growled. "No way, Mister! _I'm_ training them tomorrow!"

"Suit yourself then, pal." Trunks smirked.

A look of confusion passed over Goten's face as he began to realise he had just been tricked. Juunanagou shook his head. "Have I told you recently that you're a moron, Goten?"

Pan and Bra giggled, transformed back from powerful fighters to cute little girls. Suddenly, they both screamed as the ground rocked beneath them.

"What the fuck was that?" Juunanagou cried. Gohan glared at him accusingly for saying the "f-word" in front of the girls, but Juunana just ignored him.

"Earthquake?" Goten suggested, lamely.

Trunks shook his head. "To fast and regular. That was an explosion." He scowled. "Call the others. It's time for some action."

*   *   *   *   *   *

"Who could do such a thing?" Gohan managed to say.

They were staring at the ruins of an entire city, barely a mile away from Satan City. It had been flattened. Towers of flame shot out into the sky from the dusty ground, where broken gas pipes had been lit.

Gohan was glad that Pan and Bra had been left at Capsule Corp., with ChiChi and Videl. A glance at Marron made him wish she had not so stubbornly refused to stay also. Uub was desperately trying to comfort her.

Only the two _jinzouningen_ seemed unmoved. Gohan again found himself staring accusingly at them. This was what Mirai Trunks had come to prevent – the world being systematically destroyed by the twins. Had his work been in vain after all? Had all of their trust been badly given? Once again, Gohan scolded himself. How could he think such things about Krillin's wife? And Juunanagou had become close friends with Goten. Not to mention the way that Pan adored the jet-haired _jinzouningen_.

Gohan felt that his faith was justified when Juunanagou scowled, and cursed. "Bastards – fucking bastards." He glanced around, and was confused when he realised that all his companions, save his sister, were completely frozen. "What's wrong?"

"Something's coming," Goten muttered.

"Lousy inability to sense ki," Juunanagou growled. "Isn't that right, sis?"

"Shut up, Juunana," Juuhachigou snapped. "Just because we can't sense ki, doesn't mean we can't be alert." She pointed to a crumpled wall several metres away. "There! I saw something move!"

True to Juuhachi's word, several figures began to emerge from the billowing dust clouds. They were joined by others, until the Z warrior group was faced with a wall of purple clad fighters.

"That's them," Trunks snarled. "That's the people who killed my parents."

"Stay calm, Trunks," Gohan ordered. "Don't you go on some crazy vengeance trip!"

"I'll try my best not to."

In perfect unison, without a single word being spoken, the purple fighters moved into viscous fighting stances. There was no further warning before they attacked. The Z warriors had no choice but to fight back, despite being grossly outnumbered. 

Uub stood in front of Marron, valiantly protecting her from all attacks, until she pushed her way passed him.

"I can fight my own battles you know!" she snapped, carefully directing a powerful blast at the nearest enemy.

Uub smirked proudly as the blast found its mark. The training that he and Marron's parents had put her through had payed off. But that wouldn't stop him from being protective.

Trunks, Goten and Juunanagou had formed an awesome fighting unit, with each of them watching the other two's backs.

"Two o'clock Goten!" Trunks called.

"What about it?" Goten asked, cluelessly. He had not seen the fighter tearing toward him. But the fighter never made it to Goten. Juunanagou tossed the dead fighter out of his way. He shook his head at Goten. "_Baka_, total _baka_."

Gohan was fighting with Krillin on one side, and Juuhachigou on the other. The blonde _jinzouningen_ fought with the grace of a feline, showing no mercy. Each blow that she delivered was a killing one. Conversely, Krillin seemed to be holding back. His naturally caring nature made it hard for him to mercilessly kill any being, no matter what they had done.

The battle was giving Gohan a rush that he had not experienced in a long time. But at the same time, it scared him. He was finding that he was fighting more and more like Juuhachi, which was against his own nature. He forced himself to power down, and allowed her to finish off all of his near kills.

The ease that they appeared to be winning with began to make the Z warriors cocky – Yamcha especially. Focussing too much on his offence, he let his defence down. A very bad move. Unlike most of the other warriors, Yamcha was fighting by himself, without back up of any sort. 

The single Elite was stealthy in its movements. Before Yamcha could react, he was face to face with a pair of acid green eyes. Despite it being covered, he could tell that the face was smirking. Its hand moved up in front of it.

The force of the blast surprised everyone. Yamcha wasn't that strong! But then realisation sunk in, as the smoke cleared. Yamcha was not there anymore, only the Elite fighter. 

"Yamcha!" The cry caught in Krillin's throat.

"NOOOOO!"  A shrill cry resonated through the air. The battle stopped, and all eyes focussed on Yamcha's murderer. Clinging to its back, like a remora to a shark, was Chao-zu.

Horror filled the faces of all the Z warriors. They knew what he was planning – he had tried it once before, and failed. He started to glow with an eerie blue light, as he drew power to his tiny body.

"Chao-zu! Don't do it!" Ten-shin-han roared. "You can't!"

But Chao-zu never got the chance to carry out his brave act. Another of the Elites had worked out what tiny fighter had planned, and rushed to save its fellow Elite. A flying kick saw Chao-zu pinned between a partially demolished wall and the Elite's booted foot. His vital organs were swiftly crushed.

"CHAO-ZU!" Tien cried in pure pain and horror. _Not again! This can't be happening again! _

From high above the raging battle, Sakata watched with sadistic pleasure. She clapped her hands in an almost child-like manner as Chao-zu was killed. "I never much like clowns."

Thiacin was not enjoying the fray as much as his giggling lover. "Are you satisfied?"

She considered for a moment, before confirming with a nod.

Thiacin roared in his native tongue, and blasted off to what he now called home. He was quickly followed by Sakata, the Elite, and the remaining fighters. 

The Z warriors could not believe that the battle had ended as quickly and mysteriously as it had begun. The "battle-field" was littered with the bodies of the defeated attackers. Somewhere out there, the warriors knew, was Chao-zu and Yamcha also.

The losses went beyond that. None of the warriors were free of injury. Goten's was the worst. There was a savage gash across his right eye, gushing blood down his face, which Marron had already begun to attend to. Trunks limped over to his two friends.

"You okay?" he asked. Goten nodded, but knew who the question was truly directed at. Both he and Trunks knew how much Marron had adored Yamcha. He was like an uncle to her, a man she looked up to and admired as much as Gohan had to Piccolo.

Marron's crystal blue eyes shimmered with the tears that threatened to start at any minute. She threw herself into Trunks' awaiting arms and sobbed openly onto his chest. Uub had also wandered over, his face full of concern…and desire to be the one holding and comforting Marron.

Trunks could have kicked himself for not realising the relationship that had obviously developed between Uub and Marron. He handed Marron's sobbing form to Uub.

"Come on, babe," he whispered in her ear. "It's going to be okay."

_If only that were true_, Trunks thought grimly.

ßBack   Nextà

Bra/Goten 


	6. Goten and Gohan's Pain

Begin to Lose Control 

_6:Goten and Gohan's Pain_

The Z-warriors were a mess when they returned to Capsule Corp.; dirty, covered with blood and tear-streaked faces. ChiChi, who had been waiting by the door since they had left, ran to her youngest son.

"Oh, my baby, what happened to you?" She started to fuss over the gash above his eye.

"Okaasan!" Goten whined.

Videl, at the same time, had run to her husband's arms. "Gohan – what happened?"

He couldn't answer her. The only thing he could do was wrap his arms around her, and hold her close to him. But she understood from that.

Marron was still sobbing uncontrollably. Uub lead her to a couch, and made her sit down while he went to get her a cup of tea. Pan and Bra, who had been staying out of sight for the most part, took this moment to sit on either side of their older friend. Each of them took one of her grubby hands in theirs, and held it tight. She never told them, but that was the best thing anyone had ever done for her.

ChiChi finally found her voice to ask, "What happened?"

"We were outnumbered," Juunanagou simply replied. "Yamcha and Chao-zu…"

"Oh, Kami. If only Goku were here…"

"Well he isn't!" Trunks snapped, in a tone harsher than he had meant. "And neither is my father or Piccolo. To be blunt, we're fucked."

"Trunks!" ChiChi scolded.

"We're not fucked yet, pal," Goten said quietly. He knew that Trunks' vicious attack was just the way that he dealt. He placed a hand on his oldest friend's shoulder. "Don't lose faith in us yet."

*   *   *   *   *   *

"Whatcha doin'?" 

Thiacin jumped as he heard the voice behind him. He turned around and let out a relieved breath. "Sakata – don't sneak up on me like that, my sweet!"

She did not respond to his comment, repeating her previous question instead.

"Trying to work out how many soldiers we lost in that last battle," he replied, rubbing his temples as he did. "Quite a few, unfortunately."

Sakata was unfazed. "That doesn't matter to me. I had fun, and that's all that counts, right?"

"Well, Sakata, as much as I enjoy seeing you happy…"

Her face crumpled, and a sob escaped her lips. "You don't love me anymore! You don't want me to have any fun, so that I'll become depressed and kill myself, and then you'll be rid of me forever! You want some cheap Earthling hussy!"

"Sakata! You know that would never be true! After all I went through to get you to love me!" Though his words were comforting, Thiacin gritted his teeth as he spoke. This was one of those times that he wished he hadn't caused Sakata to lose her mind. He always regretted it when she was in a depressed mood. Psychotic Sakata, he could handle. Depressed Sakata was another matter.

A small smile formed on Sakata's mouth, and she advanced towards her lover. "Well, then, it shouldn't matter that we lost soldiers. You know as well as I do how useless they can be." She straddled Thiacin. "As long as you and I are together, and have the power to cause destruction wherever we go, nothing else matters."

Thiacin smirked, very much liking how the situation was turning out. "My dear Sakata, you are in a very _interesting_ mood. I can't deny that I like it quite a lot."

"The smell of blood and death is a powerful aphrodisiac, my love."

"Perhaps we should cause a little more of it then…"

Sakata shook her head. "I've a better idea."

"I'm listening."

"Today, I noticed one of the Saiya-jin was holding back much of his power. Actually, all three of them were. That really is being a spoilsport, I think. What's the fun in a battle where some of the fighters are holding back."

"I take it you've figured out a way to release that power."

"In good time, my sweet. For now, we must let them recover from their nasty wounds." She grinned seductively. "In the mean time, I'm sure I can think of something to keep us from being bored."

*   *   *   *   *   *

Capsule Corp.'s living room had become a makeshift hospital. Pan and Bra – too young still to fully understand the pain the others were going through – were almost having fun, acting as nurses. ChiChi took the role as Doctor, washing and mending the physical wounds – the emotional ones would never fully heal. Tien had left already, but no one really knew were he had gone. And they allowed him his time to mourn. Krillin roared in pain as Dr. ChiChi shoved his shoulder back into its rightful place.

"Pan, Bra!" she called. "Fetch some painkillers for Krillin, please."

"Yes, ma'am!" they giggled together, running in search of the desired medicine.

"Ow, ow, ow! Okaasan, that stings!" Goten whined, as his mother applied antiseptic to his cut.

"Well, if you would hold still, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much!" she snarled back at him. Her patience had left her much earlier in the day.

"I hope we don't get attacked again too soon," Trunks murmured. He held an ice pack against his left calf. "We're in no condition to fight again."

"Somehow, I doubt that that will attack," Gohan replied.

"How do you figure?"

"Well, I'm not sure why, but it almost felt like we were being tested or something. Does anyone else find it strange that the attacks are always so spaced out? There's been at least several months between attacks, like we're being given time to prepare before they strike again."

"But we don't get a warning before an attack," sighed Trunks. "And it's the waiting that really gets to me. I'd rather know where I stand against an enemy."

"We all do, Trunks. But seeing as we've been given the time, I suggest we use it. We've all been training already – we need to turn it up a bit. Hopefully next time our losses won't be so great."

*   *   *   *   *   *

True to Gohan's word, there was not another attack. A year passed with no sign of the dreaded enemy. Trunks and Bra held a special ceremony on the anniversary of their parents' deaths. They had set up a shrine next to the one for Piccolo and the others. There was one for Yamcha and Chao-zu as well. Whenever he looked at them, Trunks wondered how many more shrines they would have to make…and if Bra would ever have to construct one by herself.

Gohan was beginning to worry. Like Trunks, he hated the waiting. He would have preferred to hunt down their enemy, but he knew that it was impossible. Another thing he hated was leaving the ones he loved alone and unprotected. Every time he and Goten took Pan with them to Capsule Corp. for a day of training, he feared for his wife and mother. They were left with no one to protect them, except his grandfather, who, though he had good intentions, would barely be able to protect the two women from a normal human.

That was why he presented his idea to Trunks.

"Morning Gohan," Trunks greeted, as his older friend entered the office. "Pan's still training with Goten and Juu-kun."

"That's fine. It's you I actually want to see," Gohan replied.

Trunks raised an eyebrow. "Sure thing, take a seat of you want."

Gohan sat, and cleared his throat. "I've been thinking – every time I come over here, or anywhere for that matter, I leave Videl, Okaasan and Ojii-san all alone. If something happened to them…"

"I understand. So why not bring them with you?"

"Well, that's what I was thinking…but a little more than that. I mean, there's plenty of room her at Capsule Corp., and it would mean that we'd all be close to the training facilities."

Trunks smiled. "Fantastic idea. Let everyone else know, and you can move in straight away. ChiChi-san is the best cook! Capsule Corp. will be our head-quarters!"

*   *   *   *   *   *

Gohan quickly spread the word that they were all to move in with Trunks and Bra. Juunanagou had been basically living there anyway, so it made little difference to him. Ten-shin-han was found, and moved in quickly too, since he had few possessions to pack and bring along. Uub was the same. It was the two families that took the longest. 

Juuhachigou refused to let Kame-sennin take his porn magazines with him, but he refused to leave without them. Several heated debates resulted.

ChiChi was almost as bad. Her house had so many memories – after all, Goku had built it by hand. She kept asking if it was really necessary for her to leave, but eventually, Videl and Goten managed to convince her that it was. The idea that Bra, at least, needed a mother figure seemed to be the deciding factor.

Gohan was waiting outside the house in a car filled with as many personal possessions as ChiChi could fit into it. Bra and Pan came out of the house, carrying two bags of clothes each. They took seats next to Gohan.

"Goten should be around pretty soon to pick you guys up," he stated to Videl, ChiChi and Ox-King. "I have to get these girls to their training. Goodbye."

Videl blew a kiss to her husband, and ChiChi gave a little wave, before Gohan sped off. After his dust had settled, the three remaining people went inside.

"Oh, I can't believe it had to come to this," ChiChi sighed. She walked into the kitchen and glanced around. "How many times have I cooked dinner here for my boys? Usually a fish that they caught themselves!"

Videl placed a hand on her mother-in-law's shoulder. "I know it's hard, ChiChi. But just remember, the material things don't matter, as long as you keep Goku's memory here." She pointed to the older woman's heart. 

Through tears, ChiChi managed a smile. "Thank you, Videl." She looked around, suddenly worried. "Where's my otousan?"

"He went outside. Why? What's wrong – you seem a little edgy."

"Just have a bad feeling, that's all. Wait here, I'll call him in."

ChiChi strode quickly to the open front door. She could not see her father anywhere, so she hesitantly stepped outside. A scream caught in her throat. Just out of view from the front door, her father's body was lying face down, in an ever-widening pool of blood. There was a gaping hole where his abdomen should have been. Backing inside, ChiChi's mind was running at full speed. _What do I do? I…I…I have to find Videl. We have to get out of here now!_

She raced back to the kitchen, and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Ah, here she is!" a young woman exclaimed. She had navy hair, and pinkish skin, and was perched on one of the benches, a bottle of orange juice next to her. "I hope you don't mind – we helped ourselves to the fridge."

But it was not the woman that ChiChi was focussed on. In the centre of the kitchen, a dark-skinned man with paler blue hair was standing. In one hand he held a bottle of orange juice like the woman, but in his other hand, he was suspending Videl's tiny form above the floor. His hand was clamped tightly around her neck, as she tried hopelessly to pry it off. Her face was going red, as her body was starved of oxygen.

"Let her go!" ChiChi commanded, not knowing anything else to do. 

"What was that?" the man asked, with a patronising look on his face.

"Put her down, now!"

"And why would I want to do that?"

"_Please_! Just let her go! I don't care what you do to me, but let her go!"

"Well, alright then." The man tossed Videl to the side. She hit the floor with a sickening thud, and lay limp. The man shook his head sadly. "Looks like you left it a little too late. Suffocation is a dreadful way to die, isn't it Sakata?"

"Indeed, Thiacin," Sakata replied.

ChiChi's eyes had widened in horror. Videl's face was slightly blue, and her lips appeared purple. She started to back away, horrified but what had just happened, and terrified of what might happen next. Suddenly, she lost all of her control, and started to run.

"Oh, I _do_ hate it when they run," Sakata sighed. With lightening speed, she smashed the bottom of her bottle of orange juice, and threw the rest at ChiChi's departing back. The jagged glass hit its mark – between ChiChi's shoulder blades.

"I say! Fantastic shot, my sweet!" Thiacin congratulated. "You've been practicing!"

"I have," Sakata replied with a grin. "Shall we be off? There's still one more place we must visit."

"Let's be off."

*   *   *   *   *   *

Goten and Juunanagou sped up the mountain road to the Son house. Seeing that they had nothing better to do that afternoon – it was Trunks' turn to train Pan and Bra – they had volunteered to pick up ChiChi, Videl and Ox-King in Goten's car, and take them back to Capsule Corp.

"Check it out! On time…early even!" cried Goten as they pulled up outside. "Do you have any idea how many times I've been early?"

"Never?" Juunanagou offered.

"Damn right!"

Goten's happy grin faded the minute he saw what was next to the front door. "Ojiisan? Ojiisan!"

The two friends stared at Ox-Kings body in horror. Juunanagou managed a quiet, "Fuck!"

Goten had started towards the door, intent on going inside and finding his mother. _She has to be alright! She just HAS to be!_

"Goten! Come back!" Juunanagou called. "Don't go in there!" He ran after his friend, but was too late to stop the demi-Saiya-jin from going inside. 

ChiChi's body was just outside the kitchen, the juice bottle still embedded in her back. And from the angle they were at, Goten and Juunanagou could just see Videl on the kitchen floor.

Goten collapsed next to his mother. "Okaasan, wake up! Okaasan! OKAASAN!"

Juunanagou knelt next to his friend, and placed a hand on Goten's shoulder. The demi-Saiya-jin was shuddering with sobs. Juunanagou didn't know any words that would comfort the other young man, but he knew there was something that needed to be done.

He wandered to the phone, almost in a daze, trying to drown out the sound of Goten's cries. He dialled Capsule Corp.'s number. After three rings, someone picked up. "Hello, Gohan? Yeah, it's Juu-kun. I have some bad news…"

ßBack   Nextà


	7. Vengeance

Begin to Lose Control 

_7: Vengeance_

"You girls were great today!" Trunks congratulated Pan and Bra. The two girls had really given him a run for his money, and he had a feeling Bra was holding back so that her friend would be able to keep up with her.

"Thanks, Trunks-kun!" they replied together, giggling. It never ceased to amaze Trunks, Juunanagou and Goten how Bra and Pan could at one moment be vicious fighting machines, and at the next, transform into sweet little girls.

"I think we all deserve a treat after that," Trunks suggested, opening the door of the Gravity Room and letting Pan and Bra leave.

On their way to the kitchen, the three of them had to pass through the living room. There, they stopped dead in their tracks.

It should have been a normal scene – Gohan there to pick up Pan after her training; Juunanagou and Goten there to train themselves now that the Gravity Room was free. And since the decision to move into Capsule Corp., there should have been nothing at all unusual about Gohan, Goten and Juunanagou sitting in the living room.

But there was. The quiet was unnerving. Goten was silently weeping. Gohan stared at the wall with unseeing eyes. Even Juunanagou's emotionless eyes seemed full of grief. From the minute they had entered the room, Trunks, Bra and Pan knew something terrible had happened.

"They got Videl, ChiChi and Ox-king," Juunanagou quietly murmured, the only one able to find his voice.

"What?" Trunks whispered in disbelief.

"NO!" Pan screamed. "You're lying!" She turned to her father, tears already forming in her eyes. "Otousan! Tell him to stop lying! Make him stop!"

"H-he's not lying," Gohan finally stammered, his eyes now focussed on his daughter. "They…they're dead."

"I found them," Goten sobbed. "They were all still warm. If I'd just gotten there a little sooner…"

"You would've been killed too," Trunks stated. He wasn't trying to be insensitive, but the death of his own parents had made him able to think logically in times of grief. Of course, he understood both Goten and Gohan's pain – he knew that they had both shared a special bond with their mother, since their father had been missing or dead for most of both their lives. And he could not even comprehend how Gohan felt about losing Videl. Trunks had never had a proper relationship in his life, but remembering how his own father had reacted when Bulma had gone missing, he thought that Gohan was hiding a lot of his pain.

"This happened when it did for a reason," Trunks continued reasoning. "They must have known that Videl, ChiChi and Ox-king would be alone, and would not be able to fight for themselves."

"Clever bastards," Juunanagou mumbled.

"Trunks! Gohan!" a voice suddenly called out. Krillin, with Juuhachigou rushed into the room. "Is Marron here?" Before anyone could answer, Krillin had seen the looks on everyone's faces. "ChiChi and Videl…"

Gohan nodded. "My ojii-san too. How did you know?"

"Kame-sennin is dead," Juuhachigou answered. "We left him on his island while we brought some stuff here. Marron was going to meet us there when we went back to pick him up. But when we got back, the old man was dead – and so were the pig and turtle – and Marron wasn't there."

"Did you look everywhere for her?" Juunanagou asked. He had a soft spot for his niece.

"Of course we did!"

"She's probably with Uub," Trunks said slowly. "I know this sounds bad, but if she had been killed, I think you would have found her."

"What makes you think that?" Gohan asked, disturbed by the way Trunks was talking.

"They're baiting us. Killing those we hold dear who cannot sufficiently defend themselves."

"Videl was trained. She could have fought. My okaasan could too."

"I'm not saying they didn't put up a fight. But you have to agree with me that Videl and ChiChi – _recently_ – have not exactly been great warriors. Not quite as defenceless as my own mother, but still…"

"This is barbaric," Krillin spat. "Who would hunt down women and old men?"

"The same people who levelled a city to get our attention," Juunanagou replied, seeing Trunks' way of thinking.

"What's going on?" a small voice asked. All eyes turned to where Marron and Uub, hand-in-hand, were standing in the entryway.

"Marron! Thank Kami, you're safe!" Krillin embraced his only daughter.

"We thought we'd stop by here before going to the Kame House," Uub answered. "It took us a little longer than we thought to sort out my stuff."

"Tell them what happened," Trunks told Juuhachigou. It was only after saying this that he noticed that Goten and Gohan were missing. He glanced at Pan, who was still standing next to Bra. "Pan, where are your otousan and oji-san?"

"I-I don't know," she answered, still visibly distraught. "They were here a minute ago…"

"_Kuso_!" Trunks cursed. "Did anyone see them leave?"

Juunanagou shook his head. "We were all to caught up with Marron showing up. They must have shot off then. Why are you so worried, Trunks?"

"I'd expect this from Goten, but I thought Gohan had more sense. Hell, he even told me not to do this." As he spoke, Trunks was headed for the front door, and searching for his two friends' kis. "They're going to get themselves killed."

"Vengeance killing, fuck!" Juunanagou growled, finally working it out. "Marron, stay and look after the girls."

"Uub, you stay too," Trunks suggested, remembering what had happened with ChiChi and Videl. It wasn't that he didn't trust Marron's ability – he just thought that two fighters would gain slightly better odds.

Uub nodded, understanding. "Be back soon."

*   *   *   *   *   *

"Do you feel that?" Sakata asked Thiacin, placing a hand on his knee. "That's the power of grief. It's _intoxicating_!"

Thiacin simply nodded. _I had no idea they could be so powerful._

"Send out the soldiers to where we had our last battle," Sakata ordered.

"How many?" one of the commanding soldiers asked.

"_All_ of them."

The soldier looked to Thiacin for confirmation. Surely he would not agree to her ludicrous command. But Thiacin simply nodded his consent, only saying, "The Elite will stay here. Send the rest."

"Yes, sir."

"I do hope this will satisfy you, Sakata," Thiacin sighed, leaving the base to watch the battle.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Goten kicked a piece of debris on the year-old battlefield. He and Gohan had flown to the only place they knew of to find the monsters that had killed their family.

Goten's grief had quickly been converted to anger – an emotion that he could use as a powerful fuel. Someone needed to be punished for the death of his beloved mother. And when he found that someone, he would make them pay dearly.

"Anything yet?" he called to his older brother.

Gohan was using his own anger for a better purpose. He had begun meditating, in an attempt to locate unknown kis, rather than wait for their enemies to show themselves.

"Something is coming this way," Gohan mumbled. "Several, actually. But some are ones that we know. The ones we don't know will be here first."

Goten smirked, and powered up. "Good, I'm in the mood for kicking some serious bad guy arse."

Gohan's eyes shot open. "Be alert, Goten. They're very close. Don't make Yamcha's mistake."

"I don't plan on dying."

From the corner of his eye, Goten saw movement. He snarled, and blasted the entire area where he had seen the movement. 

Gohan glared at him. "Don't waste your energy on possible targets. We're here to kill _actual_ targets."

"Don't preach to me! I'm not a child." Again, Goten caught sight of movement. But this time, he waited a moment, until a purple-clad fighter showed itself, and _then_ blasted.  He snarled at Gohan: "Was that actual enough for you?"

"Stay focussed," was Gohan's only reply.

Very soon the brothers were surrounded by a sea of fighters, their faces hidden, but their green eyes staring out.

"Which one of you was it?" Goten snarled. "Which one of you killed my mother? I swear, when I find you… they'll be picking the pieces up for weeks."

Gohan looked around. This was not how Videl had died; he knew it. His bond with her had let him know that these were not her killers. "They're not here, Goten. These fighters are just the hired help. The leaders aren't here – and it was the leaders who killed the one's we love."

"Well, where are the leaders?" The fire of a Super Saiya-jin burned around Goten. He held up his hand, and blasted a significant portion of the "hired help". The power of the blast amazed even Gohan.

"Control youself!"

"No! I will keep blasting until the _chikushos_ who killed my mother show themselves!"

"I do believe that would be us," a voice calmly spoke. 

Goten and Gohan looked up to see a man and a woman floating above them. Six fighters, dressed identically to those fighters already on the ground, surrounded the man and woman, but the brothers realised that these six were very different. Gohan was right; they had only been fighting the hired help. The real power was right above them.

"More specifically me," the woman said. "It would have been so much more fun if the bitch hadn't ran. It's so boring when they do that."

"My okaasan is not a bitch!" Goten hissed.

"Correction… _was_ not. Looks like we have a bit if a mummy's boy here, Thiacin."

"You fucking whore!" Goten charged at the smirking woman, but was attacked by twenty or so of the fighters on the ground.

Gohan remained, his glare squarely focussed on the man's face. He knew – he didn't know how, but he just knew – this was the man that had killed Videl. And somehow, the man seemed to know that Gohan knew.

"Your wife, she was quite the looker," the man sneered. "Almost as beautiful as my dear Sakata, here. I was quite tempted to have my way with her, I must admit."

Gohan must have blown away half of what remained of the city with the blast he directed at Thiacin (for that was what Gohan had figured the man's name to be).

Goten, who had finished off all of the fighters that had attacked him, floated over to his older brother. "I don't see the difference between your control and mine. Are they dead?"

"I'm not sure," Gohan replied, still shocked by his own fury. _What's happened to me? I don't want to be like this. Videl, I'm sorry…_

"Amazing, truly amazing," a voice came from the clearing smoke. "I do believe you were quite right about them, Sakata."

The smoke cleared to reveal the man and woman – and their six bodyguards – very much alive, and completely unharmed.

"No, it can't be…" Goten cried. "There's not a scratch…"

The man motioned with his head. Two of the fighters behind him came forward. "I think they've killed enough of our soldiers. That blast was especially destructive. Take them out."

Before the two fighters had a chance to attack Goten and Gohan, they were knocked out of the way – and several miles into the distance. Trunks and Juunanagou had arrived. 

"You two are in big trouble," Trunks growled.

"Who died and made you king of the world?" Goten snapped back.

"You're just lucky I got here before you were the one that died!"

"I see the cavalry has arrived," the woman interrupted. 

"So, you're the ones who caused this. Who the fuck are you?" Trunks demanded.

"I am Thiacin," the man answered. He motioned to the woman. "And this is Sakata."

"What do you want? Why are you here?"

"What is this, and inquisition?" Sakata sighed, impatiently.

"My dear Sakata here," Thiacin answered, ignoring Sakata. "Has a bit of an obsession with death, you might say. If she doesn't fulfil her blood lust, she can be quite a handful. And since she destroyed our own planet, we had no choice but to find somewhere else for her to have her fun."

"You monsters…"

"Those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Trunks roared.

"Ask your father…oh, wait, you can't."

"Thiacin, I'm bored, can we go now?" Sakata whined, shocking the four Z-warriors. 

Thiacin sighed angrily. "Alright Sakata. We'll pick up those two Elite on the way." He faced Trunks again. "Consider yourselves lucky that Sakata does not wish for you to die today. Another day, you may not be so lucky. Especially since your two friends wiped out most of my soldiers. The things I do for that woman." And with that, he flew into the distance.

*   *   *   *   *   *

"What were you thinking!?" Trunks screamed at Gohan and Goten once they were all back at Capsule Corp.

"Watch how you speak to me, Trunks!" Gohan snapped back.

"I'm sorry, I find it a little hard to respect you after that little stunt. Do you even remember what you said to me at our first battle? 'Don't go on some crazy vengeance trip'? Huh? Do you remember that?"

Gohan did not reply, but Trunks knew that he did remember.

"Do the two of you think you're the only ones to lose someone? _I_ _saw them kill my father_! Bra and I have lost our parents too! Yamcha and Chao-zu – they're both dead too. And Dende, Piccolo, Mr. Popo…"

"I understand Trunks," Gohan interrupted, not liking the reminded of Piccolo's death. "But you don't understand how I felt about losing Videl. None of you would, only Vegeta…"

"Maybe we don't," Juunanagou replied, "but we do understand how we would have felt if we had lost you two. Gohan, you and Goten are the only family Pan has left."

Juunanagou's words brought Gohan crashing back to Earth. How had he nearly done that to her? How had he nearly orphaned his own precious daughter? She looked up at his, bottom lip trembling. "Oh, Pan. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, otousan," she replied, tears spilling down her cheek. She ran into his open arms.

Trunks looked at Goten. "You know you've always been like a brother to me, and to Bra. We've already lost both our parents; you're the only family we have left."

"I'm sorry…I…" Goten trailed off, as he started crying tears of shame. Trunks and Bra both hugged him. Pan and Gohan were soon pulled into the embrace. Then Juuhachigou and Krillin joined in, and Marron and Uub. And finally, Ten-shin-han and Juunanagou, the two loners, were pulled into the giant group hug.

After a moment, Goten's voice came from within the pile of people. "Um, I love you guys and all, but some oxygen would be nice right about now…"


	8. A Saiyajin's Pride

Begin to Lose Control 

_8: A Saiya-jin's Pride_

"Ten!? That's all!?" Thiacin screeched. 

"T-that's correct, sir," the scout stammered. Behind him stood the ten remaining fighters. Seven Warriors, and three soldiers, plus the six Elite, were all that remained of the massive Ecandlian force.

"Shit. We might have to start sending you scouts into the battles."

"Sir! Surely you are not serious!"

Thiacin's eyes narrowed. He pointed at the scout who had dared to question him. "Take him to the Cells!"

"My dear, Thiacin, what's the matter?" Sakata asked, entering the room.

He spun to face her. "This! This is what is the matter. Your little bit of fun has reduced our forces to this." He pointed to gathering of fighters. "Plus about twelve scouts, and who knows what's in the Cells."

"I already told you it doesn't matter. The fighters of this planet are no match for you and I. Our Elites also have a great advantage over them, assuming they don't use the surprise technique again." Sakata smirked. "And besides, there are still plenty of cities standing. And you know there's nothing I like more than destroying a city before supper."

Thiacin returned the smirk. "You're always full of the best ideas, Sakata. I could use a bit of destruction at the moment."

*   *   *   *   *   *

Marron jerked to attention the minute she heard the front door open. After sensing a great deal of energy some way from Capsule Corp., Trunks, Goten, Juunanagou and Uub had gone to investigate. The said four had just walked through the front door.

"Y-you all came back," Marron stammered without thinking.

"You expected some of us not to?" Juunanagou asked.

"Well…I…It's just that we seem to lose people all the time. I was just worried."

"There was nothing there," Uub stated. "And I mean nothing. No city, and no sign of who destroyed it. This is the sixth time this has happened!"

"But there's no prize for guessing who did it," said Goten, making his way to the fridge. He took out a can of beer and drained it.

"Why aren't they sticking around?" Juuhachigou voiced the question on everyone's minds. "I mean, the first time they destroyed city, it was to gain our attention so we'd come and fight them. So, why piss off before we get there? What's different now?"

"Fucked if I know," Goten replied. "I'm not exactly an expert is the psyche of crazy aliens like them. Stupid…" Goten paused to think for a moment, "…Tusken Raiders."

"Tusken Raiders?" Trunks asked, raising an eyebrow.

Goten shrugged. "Well, I don't know what to call them. And I watched _Star Wars_ with Pan and Bra yesterday."

"While you were supposed to be training them? Goten!"

"I was using it as an example of how the mind is just as important as the body during a battle," Goten lamely said. Realising his lie had been found out, he sighed. "They need some time off from training. Bra especially; she's gotten kinda…scary."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Forget I said anything."

Trunks stood up. "No, Goten. Tell me what you meant. How is Bra scary?"

"He hasn't trained the girls for a while, Goten," Juunanagou piped. "He wouldn't know what you mean."

Goten motioned with his head toward the Gravity Room. "Go check it out – she's probably in there at the moment. Always is now-days."

With a look of confusion on his face, Trunks made his way to the training room. Sure enough, Bra was inside. Trunks couldn't make out what level she had put it on, but he could see that his ten-year-old sister was straining herself to the max. He pushed open the door.

"_Baka_!" Bra snapped, as the level of gravity dropped, causing her to lose focus. "Couldn't you see I was in here!?"

"Yeah, I did, actually," Trunks admitted. 

"So, why didn't you knock or something!? _Bakayarou_!"

"Don't speak to me like that." Trunks was starting to understand what Goten had meant. Bra had never acted like this before.

"Why not? You're not my father." Bra turned away from Trunks. "You're nothing like him."

Trunks could have kicked himself. How had he not realised what day it was? Two years ago, Bra had lost her beloved father. Despite trying as hard as he could to bring her up, Trunks could not take Vegeta's place. So, Trunks realised, Bra was trying to do it herself. Trunks knew that he had never been the Saiya-jin prince that his father wished him to be. He had always been too human, and it was too late for him to change. But Bra…she was still a child. And since the day she was born, she had radiated Saiya-jin pride. 

"Bra, come here," Trunks said quietly. When she did not move, he repeated the request. Slowly, she edged her way closer. "You know that I miss otousan as well, don't you?"

"Yes."

"And, I know that I can't be him for you. I wish I could, but I can't."

"I know that too."

"But, you can't replace him either."

Bra hung her head. "I didn't think anyone would notice."

"To be honest, I hadn't until just now," Trunks admitted. "Goten and Juunanagou told me."

Bra fell to her knees, and her proud Saiya-jin warrior façade fell with her body. "I-I just wanted to make a difference. I was trying to reach Super Saiya-jin. You were able to do it when you were my age. I thought – I wanted otousan to be proud of me…"

"He always was proud of you, Bra."

"No, he wasn't!" Bra sobbed. "I wasn't a fighter. I'm not a Super Saiya-jin. I'm just a silly little girl!"

Trunks knelt next to Bra. "You weren't a fighter because he didn't want to train you. You were so important to him, he wanted to stop you from being everything he was. But, he always knew that you were special. That's why he finally gave in, and let me train you. I'm sure he would've done it if he was here. And, believe me, he's proud of how far you've come. I know, I am."

"I'm sorry, onii-chan," Bra whispered.

"There's no need to be. You were just trying to be the Saiya-jin Princess, but you didn't realise you always have been. There's nothing wrong with having pride, as long as you don't sacrifice who you really are to get it."

"Thank you, Trunks-kun…I…I guess I should apologise to Goten and Juu-kun, huh? I've been pretty mean to them…"

"Do it, later. I haven't had a good spar for a while. I want to see how good you've gotten."

Bra smirked up at her older brother. "Well, alright. But I hope you're ready to get your arse kicked."

Trunks mirrored her smirk. "That's the type of pride I've been talking about. Like you could even hit me, anyway!"

*   *   *   *   *   *

"You call this food?" Goten looked at the slop Juuhachigou had just served to him.

"Either you eat it, or you starve," she bluntly replied. "It has everything you need: vitamins, minerals."

"But it's grey! I've made a vow to not eat anything that's unnatural in colour."

"Goten, no one complained when you served up 'Goten Surprise'," Marron pointed out. 

"At least that wasn't grey!"

"Just eat it Goten," Gohan sighed. "We all have to share the jobs around. That's what living together is all about." He took a mouthful and winced. "And it doesn't taste _too_ bad. You eat it fast enough not to notice anyway."

"It's fine, Juuhachi," Bra politely said. "I also like the way you made the rice. It's an interesting way to make fried rice."

"I didn't make fried rice," Juuhachigou stated. 

"Oh, I just thought because it was crunchy…uh, never mind."

Trunks smiled to himself, as Bra blushed. He cleared his voice to break the uncomfortable silence. "So, how was everyone's day?"

"Juu-kun and I managed to beat the final level of Mortal Kombat Ultimate," Goten answered without thinking. He quickly realised his mistake when Juunanagou kicked him in the shin under the table. "Not that we were playing video games, or anything…"

"It's okay, Goten," Trunks laughed. "Gohan and Pan sort of had control of the training room today. Though it would've been better for you to be sparring elsewhere, I suppose Mortal Kombat _could_ classify as battle strategy."

"We should make up a roster for the training room," Marron suggested. "I understand that you Saiya-jin probably need it more than the rest of us – we can all just train in the backyard – but we would like a go every now and then."

"Sounds like a good idea," Bra chimed. "Also that way, some obnoxious selfish person won't hog the room to herself all the time."

"We could also rotate our sparring partners around a little bit!" said Pan, joining the discussion.

"So what, Saiya-jin and _jinzouningen_ get two hours in the room, humans get an hour?" Trunks asked.

"How about Saiya-jin, _jinzouningen _and reincarnations of Buu get two hours?" Uub piped, not wanting to miss out on any training. He did have a point too: of the humans in the room, he was by far the strongest, almost approaching Pan, the weakest of the Saiya-jin in power, and with skill to rival most of the better fighters.

"Alright then, but don't start crying when you get your behind handed to you on a platter." Trunks smirked. "Marron, it was your idea – do you want to start on the roster?"

"Not a problem," she replied with a salute. "Not really much else to so at the moment. I hate waiting so much."

"Waiting is better than dying."

Trunks' comment had brought the silence back. Whenever a light-hearted conversation came along, someone always brought reality crashing down on the group, and that someone tended to be Trunks. He had almost become the unappointed leader, especially since Gohan and Goten had gone on their personal vendetta against the Tusken Raiders, as they were now "affectionately" called.

Trunks didn't really mind, in fact, he quite enjoyed the respect his peers bestowed upon him. He just worried what would happen if he was killed in battle. Who would look after Bra? He had once trusted Gohan with his life, but after the little incident following Videl's death, he wondered if he had misjudged the elder brother of his best friend. Trunks shook his head to clear the thoughts. Now was not the time to think of such things. _If_ he ever died against this enemy, Bra would be just fine. _She has to be…_

*   *   *   *   *   *

Despite the abundance of available rooms in Capsule Corp., the sleeping arrangements were quite crowded. Krillin and Juuhachigou, obviously, shared a room, and so did Uub and Marron. Pan had moved into Bra's room, and Juunanagou and Goten, who were becoming very fast friends, also bunked together. Tien, Trunks and Gohan were the loners, but all the occupied rooms were in close vicinity of each other.

That was probably one of the reasons that Trunks sometimes found it hard to sleep at night. Bra and Pan's room was on one side of his, Marron and Uub were on the other, and Goten and Juunanagou were directly across the hall. The two Saiya-jin girls often stayed up to late hours chatting, though what about Trunks could seldom tell. Marron and Uub…well, Trunks tried not to think about what all those noises were. And he swore that Juu-kun and Goten had hijacked the Nintendo into their room.

And when he finally did drift to sleep, it was always a restless one. Dreams of his parents, how their life had once been. These were fine, but that usually turned into visions of his father's final moment. 

"Trunks…Trunks…Look after Bra…train her…she's special…p-precious…" 

More recently, he had been having a different dream. One which terrified him, yet filled him with hope at the same time. He saw Sakata and Thiacin – at least they could put names to those faces now. But Sakata was several beaten up. And there was a third person in his dreams – Bra. Somehow, she seemed different, and it wasn't just to do with the fact that she was in Super Saiya-jin. The thing that scared Trunks about this dream was that he never saw himself, nor anyone else for that matter. Was that what Vegeta had meant? That Bra would be the only one left?

He could never know for sure. But the part of the dream that filled him with hope he was sure about. This was a vision of what was to come. Bra killed Thiacin, and then Sakata, almost effortlessly. 

Trunks knew his dream was a sign that they would one day win this war. He just didn't know what the cost of victory would be.


End file.
